And You Are?
by DemonicBallerina
Summary: Suze has a new shifting power: she can travel to parallel universes. Cool, huh? But she's horrified when she finds one where she chose Paul over Jesse. And on top of that, she's stuck there. With Paul.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: The Mediator belongs to Meg Cabot dudes! It's all hers!**

**...And You Are...?**

**Chapter one**

I stared down at Paul's unconscious body feeling – okay, I admit it – a little guilty. I hadn't meant for this to happen but, yeah, it was my fault.

So, sorry to any Paul lovers out there.

Ha, _Paul_ lovers? As if! Sorry, I think I let my extremely _weird_ imagination get carried away a bit there.

It's a pretty funny idea though.

Right, I'll be serious now. No jokes, the Paul Lovers might be offended… Snort.

Okay. Unconscious body. On the floor. Got it.

I prodded Paul's stomach with my foot wondering if he was planning on waking up any time soon. I really hoped so. And not because I missed Paul's ever so charming personality or anything. No, if it was up to me he'd stay this way, he's much better company when he's unconscious, I've found. However, Dr Slaski's nurse or someone happened to walk in anytime soon for whatever reason and he found me staring down at Paul's body, then I don't think he'd be best pleased with me. Unless I could somehow convince him that I hadn't noticed it. Like, "Oh hi, nice weather we're having – oh my God! Look at THAT!"

Hmm, I'll have to try it sometime.

Or I could pretend he'd fainted. I don't think anyone has to know that the real reason Paul is lying unconscious on his bedroom floor is because he'd shifted with a particularly violent ghost that I've been trying to mediate for the last three days.

Somehow I don't think Paul's going to be too happy with me when he wakes up. And Paul's bad enough in a good mood, I don't think I want to find out what he's like when he's angry. Maybe if I made a run for it now he'd forget about it by the next time we see each other. Yeah, that's a good plan; I'll just walk awa-

Crap!

He woke up.

Oh, God. A hiding place, that's what I need. Think Suze, where can you hide?

"Suze?"

NOOOOOOOO! STOP LOOKING, WHILE I HIDE!

I turned round, smiling sweetly. "Hi Paul."

That's good, lay it on thick, girl. Stay on his good side. Remember, you're too young to die. And Paul's got ghostly minions, he could probably get away with the murder. There's nothing stopping him!

Paul looked up at me, seeming more than a little irritated.

Okay, time to go!

"Okay," I said, still smiling. "You're fine, so I guess I'll be going now."

I started walking towards the door.

Please spare me, please, please, please, please-

"Not so fast, Suze."

I think I'm going to cry.

I turned back round and noticed that Paul had sat up and was wincing as his post-shifting headache set in.

"Can't blame me for trying," I muttered as I walked over to his bed and sat down on it.

Paul looked like he was trying to hide a grin at that. Hey, maybe there was hope after all.

"What was that?" he asked, meaning the mediation-gone-wrong that he had just been dragged into.

Okay, so Paul wanted an explanation, this was good; it meant that I might get away with it. Either that or I'd make things ten times worse. Hmm, how should I answer this? "It was… a ghost." Hey, good start! "You can tell because of the glow-"

"_Suze_."

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry!" I admitted. "Things just got out of control when I couldn't find the guy's money and I thought he'd gotten over it but, you know, apparently not…" I trailed off when I noticed Paul's exasperated look. "So, um, sorry."

I suppose this could have gone worse. I mean, exasperated isn't murderous, and it was murderous that I was trying to avoid so really my job is done. I can deal with exasperated.

"And you wonder why I don't put up with charity cases."

Ah, there's the Paul we all know and… something… not love… because that would just be wrong. Whatever, I was safe now, it seemed. I could relax and annoy Paul as much as I wanted.

Which I promptly did: "Well actually, I don't. I know it's 'cause you're a jerk."

Paul stood up and shot me a dark look. "Right I'm a jerk," he said, "one who just saved you from getting your head smashed open."

Um, I might have forgotten to mention that earlier.

'Cause, yeah, Paul was right. I'd just been sitting on his bed, minding my own business and reading this book on shifting when suddenly Paul grabbed me and pulled me to the side just as a humongous – and when I say humongous, I mean _humongous –_ hardback book landed where I'd just been sitting. I was so surprised that I didn't even notice the ghost guy until everything started shaking and I was flung across the room. As I looked up Paul grabbed hold of him and shifted. Which was why he'd been unconscious before.

But like I was going to let _that_ get in the way of my insults.

He probably had it coming anyway. I mean, like I said, the guy's a jerk and he must be practically _swimming_ in bad karma. This wouldn't have happened if he were just that little bit nicer.

"I could have totally saved myself," I told him, even though that was, of course, ridiculous. But he didn't need to know that. "I don't need your help, Paul."

Paul smirked. "Yeah that's why – shit!"

Paul was looking round his room with a horrified look on his face.

"What?" I asked him, confused.

"Look at what that ghost did to my room!"

I looked. And was totally unimpressed. Yeah his room was a mess, but it wasn't like anything was broken. It was just a bunch of books that had fallen off his shelves, same with a couple of CDs and the box he keeps his shifter stuff in had been knocked over and the contents were scattered over the floor.

But still, it was no big deal.

I gave Paul a funny look. "You mean you only just noticed this?"

He scowled at me. "I'm sorry, Suze, I was a little preoccupied with wondering why a ghost just showed up in my bedroom and tried to kill you."

"Aw, Paul," I said, smirking, "you _do_ care! I'm so touched."

God, I had no idea Paul was this funny when he was wound up.

"Yeah, well I'm starting to wish I'd left you to it… But perhaps told you to take it outside first – this is going to take me ages to tidy."

Aw, poor Paul. He obviously had no idea how to function like a normal human being; his room was usually spotless and a mess like this must have been simply too much for his brain to handle.

I decided to take pity on him. "Paul," I walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder "you see those new books over there?" I pointed to said books, "They go on that shelf." I pointed to the shelf, "The CDs go in the CD rack," I pointed. "And all this," I gestured at all the papers and old dusty books, "goes in that box." I pointed at the box then I smiled encouragingly up at Paul. "See? Easy peasy."

Paul didn't seem to agree. "God, when did you get so annoying?"

Annoying? Moi?

Whatever could he mean?

I smirked. "What can I say, Paul? You're a bad influence on me."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Paul replied casually and I laughed a little. He grinned back at me then walked over to where his CDs were scattered and started to pick them up.

I watched with mild interest. "Oh hey, you're tidying," I said. "Go you."

"Yeah," he muttered, starting to put the CDs back in their rack. "But all that shifter stuff was organised. I'm gonna have to put it all back the way it was otherwise I'm never gonna be able to find whatever I want." Paul turned to face me. "Sorry, Suze, but your 'all this goes in that box, easy peasy' idea isn't going to work this time."

I blinked. God, what a freak. "Okay… Well if you _want_ to be all OCD about it then do your thang, mister." I smiled sweetly, "_I_, however, would like to go home."

I folded my arms and waited for him to find his keys, since I needed him to give me a ride home. I had my licence and everything but since Brad and I had to share the Land Rover I'd had to get Paul take me to and from his house after school.

However it seemed that Paul didn't want to give me a lift just yet.

"Aren't you going to help?" he asked, looking, for some reason, like he was being serious.

I looked at him. Then the mess on the floor. Then at him. Then at the mess. Then finally back at him.

"Are you on crack?" I asked him. "Dude, I have places to _be_. Can't we just cut this lesson short?"

I didn't really. Have places to be, I mean. Unless you count being in my own relatively tidy bedroom with my gorgeous boyfriend (which, actually, okay!), but apart from that, not so much.

Still, what was Paul thinking? Me? Tidy his bedroom with him?

As if!

"But…" Paul seemed to have realised that the tidying thing? Not going to happen. But he kept trying. "It's pretty much your fault that this even happened in the first place, so you owe me this at least."

Nice try, buster, but I ain't doing it.

"I know, Paul. And I totally _would_ do this for you, but… I don't want to."

Hmm, good argument, Suze.

Paul stared at me, trying to get me to change my mind with, I don't know, mind control or something. I just stared right back at him. And I guess my stare was better than his because in the end he gave up.

"_Fine_, where are my keys?"

An evil grin spread across my face. Oh yeah, I _totally_ kick ass.

-o-o-o-

I closed my last homework book and smiled. Finally, I was done and now I could turn my attention to more interesting things…

Such as the nineteenth century hottie who was sitting on my window seat, reading the Harry Potter book that I'd forced him to try. I'd decided that it's about time that Jesse read something normal, the books he usually reads are… well, he'd just finished _Critical Theory Since Plato._ Need I say more? So, yeah, I decided it was about time I did something about that. And who can resist The Boy Who Lived?

I got up and walked over to him, he'd nearly finished already.

I gave him a funny look. "God, your, like, really far in that."

Jesse looked up at me and smiled. "It is a relatively simple book, Susannah."

Right… whatever. I plucked the book from his hands and put it down on the floor. "That's enough of that," I said with a grin, and then I sat down next to him and pulled him towards me.

I love kissing Jesse. Sometimes I wonder how I ever managed without being able to come home from school every day and let him kiss me senseless. I mean, I'd always wanted it to happen, ever since I first came here and found him haunting my room, and now that Jesse and I were together I didn't want things to ever go back to the way they were.

It was just getting good, though, when the phone started to ring. I pulled away from Jesse. God, why couldn't I just make out with him in peace?

I got up and walked over to the phone on my bedside table. As I picked it up, Jesse dematerialised. To give me some privacy, I figured.

"Hello?"

"You know, you forgot to say thank you to me before."

It was Paul. Well, why wouldn't it be? I mean, if I _have _to be interrupted while I'm making out with Jesse, then why not make the suckiness of it complete but having _Paul_ phone me.

"What do you want, Paul? Or are you just phoning to bug me?"

"Would I ever do that, Suze?" he asked, and I could just _tell_ he was smirking. "What's up with you, anyway? I hope I not interrupting anything."

Typically, he didn't even _try_ to sound like he meant it.

"You're not," I told him, it was a lie, obviously, but like I was actually going to give him the satisfaction of knowing he was right. "But is it not enough that I have to put up with you every day in school? You have to _phone_ me now?"

"Ah, I get it. PMS, right?"

"I'm hanging up now."

I started to put the receiver down but heard Paul shout, "Wait!"

I thought about just hanging up anyway, but I realised that Paul doesn't usually call me; he just bugs me in school a lot. So the chances were that this phone call did actually have a point and I figured I might as well hear him out.

"What?"

"You still haven't said thanks."

I rolled my eyes. "Thank you, Paul. I know I didn't show it very well, but I am very grateful for your help earlier. Happy?"

"No problem, Suze. You know I'd do it any time."

Yeah, like he hadn't made it perfectly clear that he cared more about his room being trashed than me. But whatever.

"Is that all?"

Please say yes, I want Jesse back!

"No, there was something else I wanted to ask you before I bid you farewell."

Ugh!

"Okay, shoot. But make it snappy, I'm a busy lady."

"I'm sure you are, Suze. Okay, so tell me, have you ever wondered about parallel universes?"

If Paul had been in front of me I would have stared at him like he was a total lunatic. Was he serious? THIS was what his important phone call was about?

"Paul, seriously, get to the point!"

"This is my point, Suze. Just answer the question."

I really do _not_ have anywhere near enough patience to deal with this guy.

"Fine, yes! Yes, I probably have, at some point, thought about parallel universes. Can I hang up now?"

Again, _please_ say yes.

"Not quite yet. So what if I said that I've found proof that they exist?"

I suddenly forgot about wanting to hang up.

_What_ did he say?

-o-o-o-

**A/N: Uuuuuuuummmm. So I've got a new fic... yeah. Sorry about that. I meant to finish the other ones first but I couldn't resist. Tee Hee. So let me know what you think. You want another chapter? Go on, say yes. You know you do really!**

**Review , my pretties, review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hi everyone! Yes, I'm _finally _updating. Sorry for the wait. I don't really like this chapter, but I've decided that I don't want to spend any more time on it, since nothing really important happens in it anyway. The next chapter is when it gets interesting. I hope. Just in case anyone is confused, this fic is set after Haunted, so Twilight hasn't happened. **

**Chapter two**

Parallel universes? Was he serious?

I seriously doubted it.

"I would say," I told him, "that you were being weird. In fact I'll say it now just for good measure, Paul, you're being weird."

"Suze, I have to say that that is a very disappointing answer," Paul told me. "You should be used to this sort of thing by now, being a shifter and all."

What was he talking about? He couldn't be telling the truth, how could he possibly know about something like that? But then, he didn't sound like he was joking…

"You mean… it's true? There are really other universes out there?"

"According to this book I just read, there are."

I suppose I shouldn't have been as surprised as I was. I mean, for someone who can't even go down to the local supermarket without the possibility of bumping into a dead person on the way, something like this shouldn't be too shocking. But then, for sixteen years, I thought I was just a plain old mediator and now I've found out that that's not all I am and, yeah, I am having a little trouble adjusting to it.

"God," I said after a few seconds, "that really _is_ weird."

"My thoughts exactly," Paul said.

"How do you even find out about this sort of thing, though? It's just so… random."

"I bet you're wishing you hadn't run off quite so quickly now, aren't you?" Paul said smugly, "If you'd just stuck around this afternoon for half an hour longer then you'd know all about it."

I wasn't wishing any such thing. Why on earth would I? I mean, spending an afternoon tidying Paul's room with him… or spending an afternoon making out with Jesse? I _wonder_ which one could _possibly_ be more appealing. Which reminds me, why am I on the phone with this guy when we could just as easily talk about this some other time when Jesse and his lips aren't just a shout away?

Besides, who needs parallel universes when they could have _Jesse_ instead?

I opened my mouth to suggest that we continue this conversation in school tomorrow because I wanted my man back (well, okay I probably wouldn't have mentioned that last bit, but whatever) when I realised that he was still talking, oops, "So I picked the book up and it was open on a page that I'd never read before, all about how to travel to parallel universes, interesting, huh?"

Yeah really – wait a sec.

"We can do _what _now?"

"What, didn't I tell you about that?" Paul asked lightly.

"Um… No," I said. "Can… Can we really do that?"

Because, if so, then this was starting to get beyond weird.

"Apparently. Hey, I've got an idea, why don't you come over and we can try it out?" he said casually, like it wasn't obvious that he'd been planning this since he found that book. Would this guy stop at nothing to get me in that damned bedroom of his?

Answer: no.

Still, that offer _did_ sound tempting, this time. But… what if it was dangerous?

"I don't know…"

It seemed that Paul wasn't about to take no for an answer, though. "Oh come on, Suze, what have you got to lose?"

Where shifting's concerned? Probably quite a lot.

And stop rhyming, you loser, you sound stupid.

"How about our _lives_, Paul? You know as well as I do that shifting isn't safe."

But, of course, since when did Paul care about that?

"Suze, seriously, live a little, won't you? We'll just do it once. How bad can it be?"

He was probably right. Just once wouldn't kill me.

"And besides, I know you're curious."

Right again! And anyway, who would say no to a chance like this?

"Well… I suppose a quick peek couldn't hurt."

"That's my girl!" Paul cheered.

"Although if you call me 'your girl' ever again then I'm going no where with you."

Plus I'll kick your ass, jerk.

"Fair enough. So my place after school tomorrow?"

"Okay, then," I sighed.

"Great, see you tomorrow then," Paul said, and then he hung up.

God, I thought as I put the phone down, what am I getting myself into?

**Paul pov**

I waited for Suze at our usual meeting place, the school gates. I was in an unusually good mood today, which was probably because of the prospect of an extra shifting lesson with Suze. Or perhaps it was because of what the extra shifting lesson with Suze meant. I mean, it had been really easy to convince her to come to it. I expected to get all kinds of excuses, or even a flat refusal. I've heard all the reasons why Suze hates my shifting lessons a million times over.

But on the phone last night, not only did she agree to come without putting up much of a fight, she actually sounded like she _wanted_ to come. Well, okay, I know that deep down she _always _wants to come, but up until now she's had some pretty good acting skills. Could it be that she's finally ready to admit to herself that she really does like me?

Just as I was starting to wonder what was taking her so long, I noticed Suze coming towards me. I smiled at her. "Hey," I said.

She didn't smile back, and all she said was, "Let's get this over with, then. Where are you parked?"

So the good acting skills were making a comeback, oh well, it was nothing I couldn't deal with.

"You don't have to pretend you aren't excited Suze," I said as I lead her over to where my car was parked. "I know you've been looking forward to this all day really."

"Right," Suze said, not very enthusiastically. I unlocked the car and she got into the passenger seat. "How on earth could you tell?"

I got into the car and started the ignition. "I just know these things. We have this chemistry, you and me, you don't even need to say a word."

She looked at me as if what I'd just said was totally ridiculous. I smiled at her then turned back to face the road.

"Okay," Suze said. "You're being even more annoying than usual. What's going on?"

"Suze," I sighed, "seriously, are the insults _really_ necessary? I mean, there's just no point in pretending anymore. I know you like me really."

"Right, sure I do," Suze said.

We were both silent for a few seconds then Suze went, "Okay, so _when _exactly did I give you the impression that I like you?"

"When you agreed to come today. I always thought you hated my shifter lessons."

"Um, Paul?" Suze said, sounding confused. "Since when have you ever given me an option? You know I'm only doing this for Jesse."

"But this isn't exactly part of the deal is it? You could have said no if you wanted to. Just think of this as a sort of field trip."

"And you're telling me this _now_?"

"Well, I didn't hear you complaining last night, so I just assumed you knew."

"I can't believe this," Suze said and I hoped she wasn't going to tell me to turn round and take her home.

"You do still want to come, don't you?" I asked carefully.

She was quiet for a minute and I could tell she was thinking about it.

"This has nothing to do with me liking you," she said after a while.

I grinned. "Sure," I said, "whatever you say."

**Suze pov**

I was feeling pretty annoyed with myself as Paul led me up to his room. I honestly couldn't believe I'd said no to a chance to skip a shifter lesson. Shifting lessons suck. It's a fact. And I have several reasons to prove that it's true. I even made a list, see:

They're with Paul Slater,

Paul Slater is an evil, arrogant, selfish jerk,

Who seems to think that I'm secretly in love with him (insert retching noises here)

Even though I'm not (hence the retching noises)

And I know he's lying when he promises that he'll keep his hands to himself (even though he hasn't actually tried anything since the time I stuck my thumb into his eye, but still it's still early days, who knows what he's got planned for me?)

Did I mention that I really don't like Paul Slater?

'Cause I don't, you know.

But today I managed to forget about all that. I'd actually agreed to spend time with him _when I didn't even have to!!!_ And why did I do it? Because I was curious, damnit. Really, really curious. Paul had information and I wanted that information so I was willing to brave another afternoon in his house if it meant I could find out about this shifting to parallel universes business.

And of course, Paul is now even more convinced of my secret love for him, which, as I just said, is _not_ going to happen. No way, never in a million years.

"Here it is," Paul said, pulling out a musty old book from the box under his bed. Once again my curiosity took over.

"What does it say?" I asked as I wondered over to his bed and sat down next to him. The book looked even older up close, when he opened it I noticed that there were no photographs in it, just the odd illustration here and there. It was really thick; if he hadn't marked it then it probably would have taken him ages to find the right page. Paul turned the page and I saw the title 'Parallel Universes' in bold print. This was it.

The page was taken up by a drawing of a closed door and a short paragraph beneath it. I wondered if we had to go through the door in the picture to get there. It seemed pretty inconspicuous, though, I'd expected something a little more impressive.

As I examined the picture Paul started to explain, "It basically says that there are loads of doors like that one up in Shadowland and we've got to pick one and go through it."

My head snapped up at that. "What?" I asked Paul. "We can't go though one of those doors."

Paul looked confused. "Why not?"

I seriously couldn't believe he'd just asked me that. "What do you mean, 'why not'? You saw what happened to Craig when he opened one of the doors up there!"

Paul just looked even more confused. "Craig?"

"That ghost! When we went up there at the party that time I brought Craig with us and he opened the door and _poof,_ he just disappeared! I don't want that to happen to me! I'm not ready to move on! I'm not even _dead_!"

"That's not going to happen, Suze. We just have to make sure we go through a door exactly like this one and we'll be fine."

Paul looked so sure about this that it made me feel a little better. Don't ask why, though, 'cause this is Paul Slater, we're talking about and I don't trust him any further than I can through him. But… well, he _does_ know way more about shifting than I do, so I suppose if he was right about everything else he's taught me than he must be right about this.

"Well… if you're really sure…" I said, kind of uncertainly,

"I am," Paul said. "And just to be on the safe side, we won't even stay that long."

I sighed. "Okay, then, you've talked me into it. So what now?"

Paul smiled at me and held out his hand. "Now, we shift."

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